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Honor the Pedestrian <br />Pedestrian amenities entice shoppers <br />to linger. <br />BARRY ELBASANI/ELS ARCHITECTURE <br />T <br />he era when anything developed in an urban neighbor- <br />hood was considered to be better than nothing is over. <br />Desperation has driven many communities to accept devel- <br />opments that are inappropriate for an urban street and <br />antithetical to an enjoyable pedestrian experience. Sub- <br />urban -style, pedestrian -deficient retailing with blank walls <br />facing the sidewalk, parking lots that disrupt retail continu- <br />ity, throw -away architectural quality, inappropriate building <br />design and scale, and lack of pedestrian amenities are some <br />of the most egregious mistakes that made many urban <br />streets mean and decidedly unfriendly to shoppers. <br />Neighborhood retailing that is rebuilt in these ways has <br />proved unsustainable, failed to generate ongoing improve- <br />ments in retail quality or spin-off activity, and fallen short <br />of attracting the level of customer loyalty from the neigh- <br />borhood or beyond that is necessary for long-term growth. <br />When pedestrians are not honored with a pleasant and <br />enjoyable shopping experience, they usually choose com- <br />peting locations that do a better job of creating such an <br />environment. <br />The first goal for a neighborhood shopping street should be <br />to satisfy the aspirations and enhance the lifestyles of a <br />neighborhood's residents. Neighborhood retail should not <br />be structured in a way that encourages commuters to move <br />quickly through the neighborhood to reach other neighbor- <br />hoods. Too often, neighborhood streets have evolved in <br />ways that make it easier and more enjoyable for shoppers <br />and commuters to travel to other neighborhoods than to <br />stay and conveniently shop nearby. <br />Don't let traffic engineers rule the streets. Accommodating traffic is only <br />one of many goals for successful shopping streets. Retail streets must balance <br />the needs of the pedestrian and the needs of the automobile. Traffic must be <br />calmed, and pedestrian amenities must be added for successful shopping streets <br />to be rebuilt. <br />Street width is an important determinant of retail success. In neighborhood <br />locations, wide streets form a great barrier to success since they make it difficult <br />to establish either an intimate neighborhood feel or a community connection. <br />8 <br />